1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an analysis system and more particularly to a mode-synthesizing atomic force microscopy system.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Atomic Force Microscopy
Non-destructive, nanoscale characterization techniques are needed to understand both synthetic and biological materials. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a well established technique for imaging surface features with nanometer or even sub-nanometer resolution. In atomic force microscopy, a cantilever with a small spring constant is dragged on the surface of a sample. The cantilever has a probe tip capable of contacting the sample with a nanometer contact area. The contact force between the tip and the sample includes short range forces, such as the van der Walls force. Therefore, any small variation in distance between the probe tip and the surface of the sample can result in a large change in the force due to the short range nature of the forces.
When the cantilever is rastered on the top of the surface of the sample, the tip experiences attractive and repulsive forces that depend on the chemical and mechanical properties of the sample. For example, deflection of the cantilever generates a response that creates a spatial force image of the surface with nanometer spatial resolution. However, conventional atomic force microscopy is limited only to surface topography.
Ultrasonic Force Microscopy
In the so-called ultrasonic force microscopy, a microcantilever or a sample is coupled to a mechanical oscillator that drives the microcantilever (or a sample) at a frequency f. The microcantilever has a probe tip that interacts with a surface of a sample. An image may then be acquired from the amplitude and phase of a signal that results from locking onto the cantilever motion with reference to the acoustic wave frequency. Ultrasonic microscopy has been used to study the elastic properties of various materials.
Scanning Near Field Ultrasound Holography (SNFUH)
While atomic force microscopy provides no information concerning the subsurface features of a sample, this limitation can be overcome by the recent development of Scanning Near Field Ultrasound Holography (SNFUH) by Shekawat and Dravid, which can also differentiate materials of different mechanical properties. This technique has recently been shown proficient for localization of embedded nanoparticles in cells, where agglomerated carbon nanohorns and synthesized silica nanoparticles buried in a mouse macrophage were visualized. The sample holder of an atomic force microscope is modified to accommodate a piezoelectric crystal that is vibrated at MHz frequencies. The ultrasonic waves traveling through the sample influence the motion of the atomic force microscope's cantilever that is in contact with the surface of the sample. Since the atomic force microscope's cantilever is independently vibrated by a second piezoelectric crystal at a different frequency than the ultrasonic waves generated by the first piezoelectric crystal, the system creates a new mode at the difference frequency that can be monitored using a position sensitive detector (PSD) of the atomic force microscope. When the phase of the signal with respect to the difference in the exciting frequencies of the two piezoelectric crystals is displayed as a function of spatial location of the scanning cantilever tip, the phase image map shows contrast due to acoustic impedance variation and material inhomogeneity of the subsurface or surface features.